Advanced Detective
by TheAlmightyLucario
Summary: Ash and May are detectives investigating an intriguing case in Petalburg City. Will they find true love as well as the sinister criminal they are trying to find? Advanceshipping, AshxMay, AaMayl
1. The Berry Deal

**This story comes from DamonMyLife's suggestion in my other story, The Soldier. Enjoy.**

**I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

_Petalburg Docks. 10:45 PM._

A man in a sloppily buttoned shirt walked across the dock in a nervous, quick way. He wore small, round glasses and old tweed pants, making him look like a professor or teacher. In fact, he was a teacher; Jonathan Elm, the brother of the late Professor Elm of Johto.

Jonathan stopped under a flickering, dirty streetlight. He tentatively raised his voice. "H-h-hello? Is anyone there?"

"Quiet! You don't know who else might be here, Elm!" a harsh voice hissed. "Did you bring the money?"

Jonathan jumped in fright. "Y-yes... but you won't get it until I get the goods!" he added a bit more courageously.

The unseen man chuckled. "You actually think you can threaten me... how amusing... but it doesn't matter. Drop the money in that empty crate over there and walk away from it, Jonathan. I'll leave the berries next to you."

Jonathan dropped a Ziploc bag stuffed with 100 dollar bills into an empty crate marked 'Pokeballs: Handle With Caution-May Contain Voltorbs.' He dashed over to the streetlamp, where he found a bag that was giving off an almost sickly sweet scent. "Thanks..." he sighed. He looked around, but no one was there. The mystery man was gone.

But there was someone else who had seen everything. As soon as Elm left, this someone picked up a shiny round fruit, whipped out a notepad, and quickly scribbled, "Jonathan Elm. Illegal berries. Investigate further."

* * *

_Petalburg Police Squad HQ. 9:05 AM._

Ash Ketchum sipped from his coffee from a styrofoam cup and grimaced. Despite all the money flooding in to maintain the Petalburg Police Squad in tip top shape, no one seemed to be able to find some half decent coffee.

"Looks like another day of paperwork, eh, Pikachu?" he asked his beloved electric mouse.

"Pika," Pikachu agreed, taking a bite of his stale Pokefood.

Ash absentmindedly fingered his belt, which held all five of his Pokeballs. Ever since the Battle Frontier had restricted challenges from May to August, Ash, who was now the Pyramid King, had to take a job as a detective in the months not battling.

Ash was about to take a nap to pass the time when his secretary walked up to him. "Mr. Ketchum, something's come up. Detective Brock has found a few, shall we say, _interesting _things down at the docks."

Ash lept out of his creaky swivel chair. "Thanks, Lydia. I'll head down there now." As he left the building with a determined Pikachu on his shoulder, he smiled to himself and thought, 'Finally some action.'

* * *

_Petalburg Docks. 9:30 AM._

"... So I was just about to head home from my nightly jog when I heard what sounded like an illegal berry deal," Brock explained, his Croagunk ar his side.

'Mm-hm," Ash said, stroking his chin in thought. "You find anything?"

"Actually, yeah..." Brock said, pulling a plastic evidence bag out of his pocket. "It's a synthetic Cheri berry."

"Man, we haven't had to investigate illegal berries in months," Ash said. "Hey... there's someone coming this way!"

There was indeed a man approaching the crime scene, who had dark green hair and brown eyes. He looked like a farmer and seemed familiar to Ash, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Excuse me sir, but I'm afraid I can't let you pass. This is a crime scene," Ash said apologetically.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I misread the dock number on this piece of paper. I just came for a new shipment of fertilizer from Celadon," the man explained. "I'm Cole Hayden, berry farmer."

The reason for Hayden's familiarity instantly struck Ash. "Wait... are you Drew Hayden's father?" Ash asked.

Cole's face darkened. "Yeah, I am."

* * *

_Petalburg Police Squad HQ. 10:00 AM_

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention," Lydia said to Ash.

"Wha?" Ash said, looking up from the official report of the previous night's happenings.

"You've got a new partner!" Lydia said cheerfully, waiting for Ash's reaction.

"Wow!" Ash exclaimed. "Already?"

"Yep!" Lydia said. "And here she is!"

...

...

...

"May?!"

* * *

**OK, I know a lot of things were left unexplained in this chapter, but things will start happening and everything will be explained. I promise!**


	2. Drew the Stalker

**Thanks for all the early reviews, and Othello, thanks for the writing advice. I'll put it to good use.**

**I don't own Pokemon (obviously).**

* * *

"Man, it's so good to see you!" Ash said joyfully, hugging his longtime friend. "How have you been?"

"I'm great, but a bit bored. You know, I'm the elite Coordinator now, winning Contests is just too easy for me," May said, returning the hug. "So what's next, partner? Anything interesting?"

"Actually, yes," Ash replied. "We're investigating an illegal berry deal."

"Oh, I've heard of those," May said with a frown. "I know they're bad, but I never really understood why they cause so much trouble."

"I can answer that," Cole Hayden said.

"Gah! How'd you get here?" Ash yelped.

Cole raised an eyebrow. "Um, I opened the door and walked over here...?"

"No, what I mean is why are you here?" Ash said, recovering from his verbal slip.

"I caught word that ya'll were investigating some illegal berries. As a berry farmer, I want to help." Turning to May, he said in a dark tone, "Now, you're a Coordinator, right?"

May nodded.

"Well, then you should how important Pokeblock and Poffins are, right?"

"Of course! They help increase the grace and beauty of your Pokemon," May said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"In that case, you should know that berries to make those can be a bit pricey," Cole said. "Berry farmers like me, we made some pretty good money back before a bunch of people were fed up with having to pay lots of money for high quality berries. So then we got all these synthetic, artificial berries flooding the market, which drives honest farmers like me out of business."

May gasped. "That's awful!"

Cole nodded gravely. "And that's not all. Whoever's making these crappy berries is getting lazy. Pokemon who eat treats from illegal berries are getting awfully sick. Some ended up in the PokeCenter for several months!"

"No wonder we've been cracking down on these illegal berry dealers," May said, shaking her head with sadness.

A nearby potted plant rustled.

May groaned. "Oh come _on_! Drew, I know you're there!"

And sure enough, our (least) favorite green-haired Coordinator stood up and flashed his signature grin. "Well, looks like you spotted me."

Ash arched an eyebrow, hiding his anger. "Is Drew _stalking _you now?"

"Yep," May said, rolling her eyes.

"Why, you ought to be ashamed of yourself, _Drew_," Cole said, putting as much contempt as possible into the last word.

"Oh, hello, _Father_," Drew spat back with equal contempt.

"I'll be leaving. Call me if you need my help with anything," Cole said, obviously looking for an excuse to leave.

"Good. Go back to your stinking berry farm," Drew snapped.

Ash and May just stood by as spectators to the intense family feud, taking note of the father and son's hatred for each other.

"So May," Drew said once Cole was gone, "how about you and me go for a-"

"Sky Uppercut, Blaziken," May said in a bored tone, releasing her kung fu fire chicken from its Pokeball. Blaziken instantly delivered a wicked uppercut to Drew, sending him crashing into the ceiling and through the roof.

...

...

...

"You've done several times before, haven't you?" Ash said, staring at the hole in the ceiling.

"You have no idea," May said.

* * *

"So apparently the guy who was buying the illegal berries was a man named Jonathan Elm. Ever heard of him?" Ash asked.

"Actually, yes," May replied. "He's often regarded as the worst Coordinator of our time. He hasn't won a single Contest, even practice ones with, like, 5 and 6 year olds"

"Which would explain why he's buying illegal berries, since he obviously doesn't have much money to make Poffins and whatnot. Says here he lives in the poorer parts of Petalburg and works as a substitute teacher at an elementary school," Ash said, gesturing towards Jonathan's report.

"Then what are we waiting for?" May asked, rising from her seat. "Let's go pay this guy a little visit."

Nodding in agreement, Ash rose to join her and the two former traveling companions set off.

* * *

_Elm residence. 10:25 AM_

Jonathan was about to feed his precious Slugma a delicious, illegal Poffin when his phone unexpectedly rang.

"Hello?" he said, carefully avoiding his Slugma's lava-like skin.

"_They're onto us, Elm_," a harsh voice hissed from the receiver. "_You know what to do. They'll be at your place any minute now_."

Jonathan hesitated for a moment. Then he said, "You got it."

* * *

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	3. Elm Residence

**Just an important notice: updates might come a bit slower due to school being back and whatnot, but still, read and review!**

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"Dang, this is a nice car!" May exclaimed as she and Ash drove past a bunch of Milktank farms.

"Yeah, it is," Ash agreed, admiring the sleek sports car's smooth, comfortable seats and stereo system. After being promoted, Ash had been given the luxurious car as a gift from his mom and his fellow squad members. It was also fantastic for undercover work, as its exterior could change color and texture, making it great for stakeouts.

"All right, we're here," Ash said a few minutes later. "A word of advice: don't act too aggressive or suspicious. Just act calmly."

May nodded and they approached Elm's front door.

Jonathan Elm lived in a run-down one-story house that had its dirty white paint peeling away from its wood surface. There were several cracks running along the walls and windows, giving the shack a rather depressed look.

"No wonder he needs to buy illegal berries," May remarked as she gave the front door a knock. The door swung open to reveal... absolutely nothing or no-one.

"What?!" the two detectives yelled.

"Waaaiiit a second..." Ash said. "This doorknob is... glowing?"

And sure enough, the rusty doorknob was glowing with an eerie blue light.

"Something's using Psychic!" May managed to yell before the door swung once more, sending the two detectives tumbling down the steps leading to the door.

"Noooooooo!" Ash said sarcastically, irritated he hadn't reacted sooner. "Come on! Go, Dewott!" he said, releasing his bipedal otter from its Pokeball.

"You come out too, Lilligant!" May cried as they rushed towards the house.

The four humans and Pokemon burst through the doorway, Ash checking the left side of the house and May remaining behind to cover him.

"All clear!" Ash yelled, returning to May's side. "Let's keep moving!" Nodding in confirmation, May led the way down the right-side hallway.

Suddenly, a door to their left swung open and several blobs of fiery magma were launched at the two trainers.

"Water Pulse, Dewott!" Ash yelled quickly. Dewott nodded and sent a round blob of water flying, extinguishing the magma inches before the ash and May.

"Nice reflexes, Dewott," Ash said. "Now take out that Slugma that's hiding in the corner.

And Dewott launched itself, razor sharp scallchops in hand, at the Slugma that was indeed cowering in a corner of the room. Dewott slashed its two "blades" at the lava slug, nearly knocking it out.

"Ask him where his master is," Ash told Dewott. Nodding, Dewott began to yell words that only Lilligant, Slugma, and Ash could understand. After Dewott started spraying water in the Slugma's face, it began to yell something in Pokenese (my name for Pokemon language). Dewott rattled off the information to Ash.

"He's hiding in the basement," Ash informed May. "Got it. Let's have my Musharna scan the room first, seeing as he's not afraid to set traps for us."

"Great idea!" Ash exclaimed, giving May a quick hug, causing them both to blush. "L-let's go."

Musharna quickly returned, informing May that Elm was indeed hiding in the basement, readying his Carnivine to ambush them.

"Then I'll have Infernape come out," Ash said, releasing his kung fu fire monkey.

"You come out too, Blaziken," May whispered.

Ash swung open a creaky wooden trap door to reveal a dark, damp room. "Flush them out," Ash said.

Infernape nodded and began charging a Flamethrower in its mouth.

...

...

...

"No! Please don't shoot!" a voice cried out. "I"ll go with you! Please!"

May arched an eyebrow. "That was easy."

A man who obviously hadn't shaved in a while stepped out, dressed in a dirty white collared shirt that was only half buttoned and torn jeans. He was very thin.

Ash slapped a pair of handcuffs on Jonathan and the three left the house to get in the car, unaware of the person hiding in the shadows.

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**I don't really like the way this chapter came out, but I was going to have to include an actiony/non-romantic or humorous scene ****at _some _point...**

**Review, _por favor_.**


	4. The Interrogation

**Hello, sweeties. :)**

**I watch too much Doctor Who...**

* * *

_PPS Interrogation Room. 11:00 AM_

"All right, I'll make this simple," Ash said. "You tell us who your dealer is, we fine you $120 and you walk. Easy."

Jonathan smirked. "Like I'd ever tell you guys."

May rushed at Jonathan, her fist outstretched. "Why you little-"

Ash grabbed her arm. "May, easy. We only do that when I say so, and it's too early for that."

May crossed her arms, pretending to pout. "Fine..."

"One last time, Elm. Who sold you those berries?" Ash asked forcefully.

"I ain't telling ya'll squat," Jonathan said, crossing his arms.

May sighed. Something about the man really irritated her, and she wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face and knock out one of his discolored teeth.

_30 minutes of polite asking later..._

"AARRGGH! That's it! You've forced my hand!" Ash said, panting. "Pikachu! You know the drill!"

Pikachu nodded. "Pika!" it said, jumping up onto the chrome table.

Jonathan barely had time to raise an eyebrow before Pikachu sent 2,000 volts of electricity streaming through his body.

"AAAAAAAARRRRRHHHH!" Jonathan screamed, convulsing in his chair. Pikachu stopped the electrocution, coldly observing the streams of smoke trailing off of Elm's body,.

May's eyes widened. Ash had changed a lot since they had traveled together in Hoenn, becoming more cold and calculating than the sweet, innocent 10-year old that she had once known.

Ash noticed May's expression and an almost shameful look crossed his face. "Sorry May, but in this job, you see these things all the time."

May shook her head. "It's fine. I understand. In fact..." She tossed a Pokeball into the air. "Wartortle, Water Gun until he talks."

Her blue, feathered turtle nodded and sprayed a jet of water into Jonathan's face, preventing from breathing. After a few more seconds of this, he screamed, "OK! OK! I'll talk!"

Ash and May sighed. "FINALLY!"

Elm shivered in fear of more torture but continued. "N-now, I don't know who the head honcho is, b-but I know where the next deal is. His crony told me a guy named Marley was getting some berries."

Ash and May exchanged a look. "Harley?!"

* * *

_PPS. 12:35 PM._

"Well, seeing as the next deal isn't until next week, you two can have the next few days off," Brock said with a grin.

Ash sighed in relief. "Thank Arceus!"

May looked at her watch and jumped. "Gah! I've got a meeting with the Contest board now! Gotta go!" she said, giving ash a quick hug before dashign out of the building.

Ash just stared after her, blushing.

...

...

...

"You like her, don't you?" Brock asked with a sly grin.

Ash blushed and stuttered, "W-w-wha? O-of course n-not! Th-that's just r-ridiculous!"

Brock just sighed. "No, it's not. I know you have feelings for her and she does too."

Ash perked up at that. "Really?"

Brock nodded in confirmation. "Yeah really!" A brilliant stroke of inspiration suddenly came to him. "Say... how about you ask her out to dinner? You know, just to 'catch up' and whatnot?"

Ash considered this and nodded. "Sounds good... but that might be awkward..."

"True. How about this? You and May meet up with me and Lucy at the restaurant?" Brock said, referring to his current girlfriend.

Ash grinned. "Sure. Saturday sound good?"

"Saturday's good," Brock said with a smile.

* * *

_Ketchum residence. 2:40 PM._

Ash nervously looked at the phone, as if it was a rabid Pokemon that would attack him if he made a wrong move. He had been practicing calling May for the past hour, and he now thought he was ready.

In truth, he had had a crush on May ever since they were kids, and he was delighted they were now partners. Hopefully, things would be better this time.

With a deep breath, he picked up the phone and dialed May's number.

* * *

_Maple residence. 2:41 PM._

Just as May was about to add the finishing touch to her painting, the phone rang, startling her and causing her paintbrush to skid wildly across the canvas. May sighed, knowing that she wasn't that great at art anyway.

"Yyyy-ello?" she said, picking up the phone.

"_H-hi May, it's Ash,_" a sweet voice said through the speaker.

May blushed at hearing her longtime crush. "Hi, what's up?"

"_Well, there's this new restaurant in town, and I was wondering if we could, I don't know, go there to catch up and talk or something?_" Ash rushed.

May nearly dropped the phone in excitement. Here was the boy of her dreams asking her out to dinner!

"Sure! I'd love to! Um... is Saturday OK with you?" she said.

"_Yeah, I was actually going to ask you that! So, Saturday at, say, 6:30 PM at Cafe de Fromage?_"

"Sounds great!" May exclaimed, hanging up at the same time as Ash. May sighed. What with getting the info from Elm and a dinner date with Ash, May felt like her day couldn't get any better.

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**I have no idea where I got the name of the restaurant from, but as always, REVIEW AND REVIEW! And review again!**

**Please vote in the poll if you can, too.**


	5. And the Plot Thickens

**I'M ALIVE! Thanks to everyone who was so patient with me these past few months, and I proudly present the newest chapter in Advanced Detective!**

* * *

Ash attacked his unruly black hair with a comb, desperately trying to flatten his hair, but to no avail. He sighed. If was as if his hair was a separate being that refused to go flat for a while.

He checked out his reflection in the mirror. Dark blue button-up shirt, black belt with a silver buckle, and black dress pants. Ash's mother had insisted he wear these clothes, saying that May would love them and that they would be perfect for his "date".

Ash got in his car (which he had made look like a sleek sports car) and double-checked the note May had given him.

_1113 Halibair Drive. _The address of his partner and longtime crush.

He drove for about 10 tense minutes, the bass of hip hop beats filling the surprisingly roomy interior of the car. When Ash finally arrived, he was beginning to panic. He had never been on a date before. He had no idea what to do. What if he messed something up? What if he embarrassed himself?

Ash was on his third "what if" when he realized that he had (unknowingly) rung the doorbell.

* * *

May checked herself one last time in her shiny, floor-to-ceiling mirror. Bright red dress made of a smooth, silky material and a thin silver belt circling her belt. The look was completed by a pair of scarlet pumps.

May hoped against hope that Ash would like her outfit. Whenever she had time with Ash, she tried to drop as many hints as she could, such as the time when she stripped down to her bikini when they were younger.

_Ding-dong!_

May's heart nearly skipped a beat. Ash was here.

* * *

It's safe to say that May and Ash stood staring at each other for a solid 45 seconds before Ash cleared his throat.

"Um... I think it's time to go. Lucy and Brock are probably worrying about us," Ash said nervously.

May shook her head. "Oh, yeah."

The fifteen minute drive was spent in a tense, nervous silence.

"Hey guys, over here!" a voice called out as Ash and May stepped out of the car. The couple turned around to see their old friend Lucy waving at them, her Seviper-like outfit switched out for a light purple blouse and black skirt, her long hair in a ponytail. Her boyfriend was dressed up very formally, decked out in a blazer and tie (which Lucy had probably wrestled him into).

"Lucy! Man, it's been so long!" May cried, hugging her old friend.

"Nice to see you too, May. And Ash, congrats on becoming a Frontier leader!" Lucy said. "Looks like we'll be coworkers now, huh?"

Ash laughed. "Yup!"

The four headed inside the stylish, modern restaurant. A waiter with a cool bow tie led them to a group of tables outside and showed them to their seats. After a few minutes, the group ordered their food.

"So how goes detective work, guys?" Lucy asked as her main course arrived.

"Pretty good. We've actually got a big case now," Ash said as he slurped his custard.

"Cool! What's it like?"

But Ash didn't respond. Something didn't feel right. It was as if someone was...watching them.

"Hey Ash," May said as she swallowed a bite of fish fingers, "are you feeling oka-"

BOOOOMMM!

A jet of blue energy streaked across the patio, heading straight for the group. Reacting quickly, Ash grabbed May and shoved her to the ground, ducking use in time to avoid what he recognized as a Dragonbreath.

"Arceus almighty!" Brock coughed, pulling himself out of the rubble. "We've gotta get these other people to safety!"

Ash nodded. "May and I will check out where the blast came from!"

Our favorite couple shakily made their way to the scene of the attack, only to see a masked man dash away.

"Hey you! Stop!" Ash yelled, but to no avail. He then noticed that the culprit had left a brightly colored piece of paper.

"Pokestar Studios," May read aloud. "Why would he have this?"

"I don't know," Ash replied with a grim voice. "But we have bigger problems." He turned over the slip of paper.

"The berry deal. It's been moved to tonight."

* * *

**Bonus points if you can find all the Doctor Who references.**


End file.
